County adopts resolution ending ICE detainers for non-criminal immigrants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Immigrants in Milwaukee who are detained for non-violent offenses will no longer be subject to additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigations, help following the passage of Resolution 12-224 by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. In a victory for the immigrant rights group Voces De La Frontera and its supporters, the county board passed the resolution, championed by 12th District County Supervisor Peggy West, by a vote of 14-4. The resolution directs Milwaukee sheriffs to decline ICE detention requests unless they involve persons who have specific kinds of criminal records (such as felony or non-traffic misdemeanor convictions, for example), are criminal defendants or have outstanding criminal warrants, or are suspected of gang or terrorist activities. Currently, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) honors all ICE detainer requests. Sheriffs are asked to place a hold of up to 48 hours on an inmate to allow ICE to investigate…

Deportation is a Public Health issue

Lost in an increasingly heated debate about U.S. immigration reform is a growing problem of immigrant mental and emotional health, a public-health says. Tragedies like the Thanksgiving weekend 2011 suicide of high school senior Joaquin Luna Jr., order 18, pharm of Mission, Texas — who said he realized he had “no chance in becoming a civil engineer,” despite excellent grades, because he was undocumented — put an occasional face on immigrant psychosocial challenges. Such incidents energize controversy over the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who go to college. But unspoken are untold immigrant psychosocial ills, Dr. Manuel Carballo — executive director of the International Center for Migration, Health and Development and a former professor of clinical public health at Columbia University — told United Press International.

LGBTQ Day of Action in Boston Against S-Comm Planned for June 14

Thursday, June 14, health 2012 from 12 – 3 PM, the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition (HBGC), local and state organizations and agencies, and elected officials, as well as advocates and supporters will convene at the Massachusetts State House Grand Staircase for an afternoon of transformative dialogue about three issues that disproportionately impact Black and Hispanic/Latino LGBTQ people — immigration, the criminal justice system, and youth homelessness. Ending the injustices and inequities that make it difficult for LGBTQ people of color to lead safe, healthy and prosperous lives is at the core of HBGC’s programming. In the past, HBGC has hosted and participated  in a number of events that explored and addressed how these issues affect Boston’s Black and Hispanic/Latino LGBTQ communities. With the Day of Action and Awareness, HBGC will bring together a diverse group of community members to discuss current state legislation that could have dire consequences for Massachusetts residents…